Editor’s note: We recognize that this is a very serious event that deserves a thorough article, more thorough that this one. However, our small staff has been occupied by the power outages and the fire for most of today and with the resources we have, we simply didn’t have the time to put together something more thorough tonight. We will follow up, of course, with more reporting, but for now we want to make you, our dedicated readers, aware of this news in a timely way.
MENDOCINO Co., 10/25/19 — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has released the dash cam video and audio of the shooting of Joseph Anthony Corral, 26 of Los Angeles, by MCSO deputies. (Click here for the video)
Three deputies were present, and it appears that two of them fired multiple shots towards Corral, potentially more than 15 shots, only one of which struck Corral. Corral was airlifted to an out of county hospital and survived.
In the video (which is embedded below) the audio is clearly legible, and it shows Corral very suddenly reaching for something behind him and then raising back up. At that point one of the deputies yells for him to not reach for a gun, and the deputies begin to fire. Sheriff Allman in a press conference earlier this month stated that Corral fired at least one shot, though it did not hit anyone. When the shooting begins two deputies are on the passenger side of the van, while the other is speaking to Corral through the driver’s side front window. The deputies on the passenger’s side then fire into the van, in the direction of Corral, but also in the direction of their fellow deputy.
After the deputies stop shooting one of them is heard asking if a woman not on camera has been wounded. No one else was wounded.
MCSO deputies initially responded to a call regarding a report of a drunk man, but then encountered Corral in a mini-van on the side of the road. Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman held a press conference shortly after the shooting, in which he said the dash cam footage would be released within two weeks; the footage is required to be made public under California’s Public Records Act SB 748 and SB 1421, which expand the public’s access to police records in circumstances where a peace officer discharges a firearm.
Here’s our initial report on the shooting, and the livestream of MCSO’s conference later that day. Here’s the full press release put out by MCSO. Here’s the full video of the deputies interacting with Corral and the shooting, with the press release posted below.
Warning: the video depicts a shooting which is graphic and may not be suitable for all viewers.
Here is the MCSO’s press release:
DATE: “October 25, 2019”
Press release from MCSO on 10/25/19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Incident Number:
2019-30315
Crime/Incident:
Officer Involved Shooting – UPDATED PRESS RELEASE – VIDEO RELEASE
Location:
7000 block of Uva Drive in Redwood Valley, CA
Date of Incident:
10-10-2019
Time:
12:54 PM
Victim(s):
N/A (at this time)
Suspect(s):
Joseph Anthony Corral (26 year-old male from Los Angeles, CA)
Written By:
Captain Gregory L. Van Patten #1184
Synopsis:
On 10-10-2019 at 12:54 PM Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a reported drunk pedestrian in the 6000 block of Central Avenue in Redwood Valley, California.
While searching for this reported pedestrian, Deputies subsequently contacted an adult male in the general vicinity (7000 block of Uva Drive).
During that contact an Officer Involve Shooting occurred.
On 10-25-2019 Sheriff Thomas Allman released the patrol vehicle dash-camera video of the incident in compliance with California Senate Bill 748.
The video can be viewed at the following links:
youtube https://youtu.be/5iszbmRLZgE
twitter https://twitter.com/
MendoSheriff/status/1187921839667978241 (first minute only)
facebook https://www.facebook.
com/MendocinoSheriff/videos/555756905233902/ front page of website has link to YouTube
These guys just graduated high school. They are some of the dumbest people ive ever met. Your hairdresser has more school than them.
I guess we all know what you would have done when that drunk guy pulled out his gun. You would’ve gotten shot.
1, Obliviously he was drunk and disoriented from the alcohol. 2. Not one of the officers had a taser at the ready. 3, Didn’t ask the wright questions? Are you o.k. do you need help. etc. deescalate. Just my opinion.